Saturday nights in 518

I put on my favorite leather coat and worn out shoes. Neglecting to shave earlier, my face sported a rugged 5’oclock shadow. It was evening; I had $80 in my pocket and a worthy goal: to find excitement and to experience the thrill of a Saturday night.

I started by hitting a local watering hole in the 518 area, a place called Samuels. It’s a hangout that attracts the same teenagers every week and an acoustic act with no substance. On few occasions the cafe has hosted worthy acts such as The Nightlife and OnTheAM, two great bands worth a listen.

Thirty minutes of dead conversations and the sight of familiar faces was all Samuels had to offer for the night. I decided to call up a childhood friend, Ryan, in attempt to find something new to do.

Notice an important piece of the conversation was that Ryan, a 17-year-old teenager who should be enjoying his youth to its fullest extent, is watching TV by himself on a Saturday night, an occurrence that’s not uncommon. Ryan’s case of boredom is not extraordinary among teens, and if I didn’t have a car I myself would be in the same place.

After picking up Ryan, we spent the night cruising around Scotia looking for adventure. To our dismay, we ended up renting an amateur horror film with awful props and bad acting.

This was our Saturday night: wasted gas, a bad film and boring people. The money I started the night with was spent on gas for driving around Scotia without a destination. My leather coat got wrinkled from the weight of my back pressing against the seat as I drove around for hours. My shoes have worn-out tread underneath the toe from the constant pressure of pushing on the gas and brake pedal.

This is what I have to show for my efforts to find something interesting to do in Scotia. The area offers as much excitement as watching an after school special. This brings me to ask myself:

1. Are we squandering our youth?

2. Does boredom cause teens to do things they normally wouldn’t do?

3. What can I do to prevent myself from wasting my weekends?

Izzy’s Side note:

The point of this article is to illustrate what happens during an ordinary Saturday night in a place like Scotia. Without organized social events and teen-friendly establishments that host meaningful activities, many young people wander aimlessly in search of something to do, and their search may sometimes lead to trouble.